The 3 best promotional giveaways for your start-up or company

Posted by Custom Water Bottle on Dec 08, 2016

﻿In the age of start-ups and growing and failing businesses, there are many promotional items that end up lost or thrown away. Some stay stuck in that infamous junk drawer for years to come, and others actually live up to its intended purpose- worn, used, and sipped out of over and over again. In our experience at Custom Water Bottle, we believe these are also the best promotional giveaways a start up or any established company can give out at trade shows, booths, or any event.

The top three promotional items to give away at any event:

3) Pens

Who has the heart to neglect and throw away pens? No one. We always need pens. Whether its that moment in your own home and you're scrummaging through the kitchen or office to jot down a confirmation number, or that moment in your car when you're in a dying need of a pen and you wonder how you neglected to keep one in the car! We have all been there. Due to all these experiences, I now make sure to have a pen on me at all times - in the car, in a bag, or on my nightstand. Oddly enough, I don't remember purchasing any of the pens I use, they just somehow have made its way into my home or belongings. The pen from a hotel, the pen with a random insurance company logo, or the pen from a restaurant you accidentally took with you, have all been there for us in our time of need. Pens are proven to be great promotional giveaways. People may see these as "boring" or "useless" items, but I assure you they are definitely on the top of the list of promotional giveaways. People will utilize your pen at one point or another or use it daily if it becomes their favorite writing utensil, and they are cost effective compared to other promotional items. Slap your logo on a pen and sleep happy knowing people won't throw them away unless it's out of ink!

2) T-shirts

T-shirts are definitely a favorite among people receiving promotional items. When people see t-shirts being given away, a frenzy breaks out. It's as if people have never seen a t-shirt before. People love FREE, and people love free clothing even more! T-shirts with your logo are great giveaways, but they can be a little more on the "expensive" side. For example, you will probably get way more custom pens for the same amount of money used to buy custom t-shirts! As great as pens are, t-shirts have a way of displaying themselves to a wider audience when compared to a pen. A pen may only reach a few people during its lifetime and will be viewed several times by those same people, but a t-shirt will not only be potentially worn several times, it will also be a walking advertisement without paying extra. Promotional t-shirts are notorious for being worn at gyms, grocery stores, or even schools. Make sure to purchase t-shirts that are of great quality and provide a great fit.

1) Drinkware

Without a doubt, we at Custom Water Bottle believe the best promotional item to give away is drink-ware! Yes that's right, these bad boys beat all the promotional t-shirts and pens in the world. In our experience, drinkware has proven to be the most "bang for your buck" promotional item due its longevity and repeated uses. Just like how a t-shirt is a walking advertisement, so is drinkware. The difference is people usually won't wear the same t-shirt every single day, but people will definitely use and carry the same drinkware/custom water bottle everyday and anywhere they go. People will carry these custom water bottles to their jobs, to their classes, to the gym, and throughout their day to day errands. Unlike other promotional items that may get neglected and thrown away, drinkware is something that people actually use beyond an event. Especially if you're handing out a premium custom water bottle, people will want these even more, despite having a company's logo on them. Like I said earlier, people love free, and when it comes to an amazing water bottle being given away for free that would've cost them money elsewhere, people will want to get their hands on one!

Always remember and ask yourself, does the item i'm giving away provide a use to the person, how long will it last, and how many times will they use it. We've done the stress balls, keychains, and sunglasses, but the best promotional item give away was always the custom water bottles with our logo on them! We too have been behind the booths at trade shows, and without a doubt some promotional items have been a waste and others have actually lived up to its intended purpose. In the end, we believe drinkware is the best promotional giveaway.